THE GEOLOGIST. 



the practical results which might be expected from it ? " It therefore 

 becomes desirable to answer this question clearly and decisively, 

 and we think we shall be doing service to the cause of truth and 

 sound philosophy if we draw attention to some of the most 

 prominent features of the case. 



Let us look to the practical results which Geology has accom- 

 plished, and they certainly are not insignificant. They must 

 satisfy every candid inquirer that its main object is not the 

 mere breaking of stones or the collection of specimens. Even its 

 theories, when based upon sound premises, are of great and essential 

 service. 



It has also a most extensive influence on nearly every depart- 

 ment of science and art, and hence, of late, the study of Economic 

 Geology has been more widely sought after and appreciated. In 

 this department the practical fruits of the Science are most appa- 

 rent, and the advantages arising from a correct knowledge of the 

 internal structure of the eai-th are particularly impressed upon 

 us, and every year may be expected to increase its popularity, as 

 its utility becomes more widely known. The study of minerals and 

 metals belongs, strictly speaking, to the Mineralogist, but the 

 Geologist must be acquainted with the conclusions arrived at by 

 the former. The direction of veins, the faults which affect them, 

 and the probable richness or poverty of the strata in which the 

 various ores occur, is the more immediate and legitimate work of 

 the latter. The importance of an exact acquaintance with this 

 portion of Geological research cannot be overrated, and those who 

 really imderstand the difficulties to be overcome will best appre- 

 ciate the benefits which this noble science has conferred. 



This Science becomes of value in regard to the Carboniferous 

 deposits, which, being generally deep-seated in the earth, and 

 much disturbed by faults, are worked with considerable diffi- 

 culty. The aid of the Geologist is of great service in decidmg 

 the direction of the strata, and the thickness, extent, and 

 quality of the seams. The enormous consumption of coal, 

 and its inestimable value for economical purposes, render 

 its extent and ultimate exhaustion a momentous and very 

 interesting question. Happily, this has been satisfactorily 

 answered by many eminent Geologists, who have shewn that there 



